Somebody on this forum posted a picture of a galley extension table that looked like a teak deck hatch cover from a boat. I think it's called a 'grating" I really like that look.

That got me to thinkin". And I think I came up with something new.

My 10' tear will have a lot of storage. In the sleeping cabin there is a duffelbag storage shelf up near the roof just behind the galley. This shelf is 5' wide x 2' - 8" deep. There is 12" of vertical space between this shelf and the ceiling. This gives me about 12 cubic feet of storage for soft bags, chairs, awnings and other bulky stuff. Most of the items on this shelf will be directly above my trailer axle. I'm happy about that!

I need a way to keep all of this gear from falling off of this high duffel storage when traveling down the highway. And I also need two nice galley extension tables.

So this is my idea:

I could combine these two problems into one solution. How about I build two galley extension tables and when they are not used for camping, they lock in place in front of my duffel storage and create a removable storage doors?

The biggest problem I see is the weight and cost. I like the deck hatch look I described above. But if I build like that, the gratings will be heavy and the lumber to build them will be costly. However, as storage doors, these tables would be nice if you could see through them a bit. So "gratings" are tempting.

I like dual purpose solutions. I think I may have found a new one. . .
Waddayathink?

Oh, one other thing. The leg system for the tables needs to be removable. When they are used as "doors" these tables would look better without legs hanging off of them.

Duane, I think that is a fantastic idea...Sportsman Guide, Cabela's and other sporting good outlets sell a folding shower grate for privacy tents and such...these are made of redwood or cedar and are affordable and may be adaptable...building you own should not be a terrible big expense either...we use 2 aux tables that can mount in 3 different position...the leg attaches to the table by means of a winged bolt into an insert in the bottom of the table and then pins to the bottom of the trailer...if you look at the 3 albums here you will see them in various configuration......
madjack

...I have come to believe that, conflict resolution, through violence, is never acceptable.....................mj

Dual Purpose Ext Tables. Hmmmm. I guess it all depends upon how critical the weight distribution is - particularly for tongue weight.

We have a cargo net that came with our Subaru Forester that wasn't being used for anything else. That's what we now use to stow away soft stuff that would normally end up crammed at our feet. Such as the comforter and coats (for those 3 am trips to the bathhouse . . . . .) in cool weather and rain coats and other stuff in warm weather. We used some cup hooks across the top and the bottom of the net to hold stuff up against the underside of the cabinet.

A cargo net or a couple of bungie cords would also work well to hold that kind of thing onto a shelf, particularly during transport. You could even do it without much hardware, too. Drill a few holes in the edge of the shelf and a cup hook or two on the upper side and the bungie cords would have something to hang onto AND they wouldn't have the weight that a wooden shelf would have.

It depends upon your galley and how it is laid out. Our galley table actually folds up and out of the way with several sets of hinges. Its very similar to what Steve Fredericks has done.

Again, it all comes back to the weight issue - total weight and location of the weight - and what works for you. Form vs function.

Nice tips Andrea. I thought about the cargo net thing. That is a great description of how to make it work. If weight becomes a problem, that is probably what I will do. But then I will still have to stow my galley tables somewhere. . .

Miriam, you wanted detailed pictures. I haven't tried to build these galley tables yet. But today I posted current pictures that show this upper duffel storage and the cabinets below that. The yellow wood has its first coat of spar varnish. The blonde wood is not coated yet.

It's hard to tell from the photos, but this upper duffel storage is pretty big. I tried to put every cubic foot to work for me. I would prefer to have nothing on the foam bed during travel. If I get tired on a trip, I want to pull into a rest stop and take a quick snooze. So my goal is "NO CARGO ON THE BED!"

If weight is a concern, how about creating a frame and then 'filling' it with a sheet of perforated aluminum? You should be able to get some at a sheet metal place in your area. Or, you could create the top/fill with non-perforated aluminum that you may have left over from your build.

I like the perforated aluminum idea. I'll look around and see what is available in my area. Otherwise, I'm starting to like the idea of building hatch gratings. I think I could keep the weight down by making it out of 1 x 2 lumber laid flat. Usually a deck grating is much thicker than that. But I want the look without the dimension or the weight.

But perforated aluminum has it's appeal. . .I'll see what's out there.

Hey Mike,

Your "stuff" picture is exactly what I am afraid of. Lots and lots of stuff. You know when we camp, we try to take everything we own. We've had a tent trailer for 20 years and we fill it AND the mini-van that pulls it. But there have got to be some changes made. I want to become a minimalist. I think I'll look forward to camping more often if I can get my mind around the idea of leaving home most of what I think I might want and only bring what I need. Also, I want to be able to show off my tear while in transit. It won't be much fun to show people if I pack to my usual standard.